MBABANE:Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has denied paying investigators of the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC) with an alleged intention to fight his political enemies.
Responding to this Swaziland News on Wednesday through Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli,the PM accused this journalist of fabricating a story against him and clarified that, allowances for the investigators are approved by the Ministry of Public Service in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance.
The PM who responded for the first time since issuing a Circular Memo banning all public officers from responding to this publication and its editor after labeling this online publication a terrorist entity, further accused this journalist of making a false statement that the Deputy Government Spokesperson refused to comment when in fact she was within the timeline stipulated in the interim order.
“This story is a fabrication and lacks logic as the Honorable Prime Minister is in a quest to fight corruption. Allowances are approved by the Ministry of Public Service in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance thus the Prime Minister is not paying the commissioners any allowances to fight anyone. The officers of the ACC are salaried and duly vetted to be part of the ACC who work without any direction or control of anyone”, said the Acting Government Spokesperson.
But some ACC investigators told this Swaziland News this week that, the PM is allegedly using Chief Investigator Sipho Mthethwa, Acting Commissioner Maphevu Mkhatjwa and a few others as his ‘boys’ to investigate individuals he perceive as his political enemies.
The Anti Corruption Commission has been literally captured by the Prime Minister. Apart from the traveling allowances allocated to Mthethwa and a few investigators in the ‘pocket’ of the Prime Minister There’s money that comes from the Central Bank as cash for investigations, “siyibita ngemali yabhaki” and it is kept in a safe box with the ACC and it’s more than a million. Those investigators who are in the PM’s ‘pocket’ would sometimes take cash claiming to conducting investigations”, said one of the ACC investigators.
Jabu Phakathi,the ACC Spokesperson declined to comment about the matter when reached by this publication.
Reached for comments by this Swaziland News on Wednesday, Mandla Luphondvo, the Central Bank of Eswatini(CBE) Head of Strategy and Communications said, the ACC and Central Bank work independently and have their own budgets.
“Even though the operations of the bank are too wide and I wouldn’t know this particular matter if indeed happened but,to the best of my knowledge, the ACC and the Central Bank are both independent with different mandates and have their own budgets”, said the ACC Head of Strategy and Communications.
Responding to this Swaziland News earlier,human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi said, the ACC should not be weaponized against individuals but the institution “is expected to operate” within or in line with the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The ACC is expected to be independent and operate within the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, they have the power to investigate even the very same Prime Minister not to report to him”,said the lawyer.
ACC offices at Mona flats(pic: Sky city).